My name is Avi Samra and I am a personal trainer and nutritional advisor. Currently I train clients to help them lose weight, tone up or just get fit! I offer training sessions as well as diet/exercise plans, food diary analysis, recipe ideas and lots more! Each month I will be focusing on different themes with the title being, ‘Get Fit…’. To begin with let’s focus on ‘Getting Fit in the New Year!’.
Was ‘lose weight’ on your New Year’s Resolution list at the beginning of the year? Did you achieve this goal? If not, don’t despair there is always next year! As we approach the last chapter of 2014 think about why you may not have achieved your fitness goals. Perhaps it was lack of motivation or maybe you didn’t know where to begin. A problem many people face is they jump straight into a healthy regime; for example they cut out all ‘bad food’, do a cardio workout 5 times a week and then eventually get bored of this and give up! Rushing into a new regime without thinking and planning is a common mistake lots of people make. Take the next few weeks to think about how you are going to achieve your fitness goals in 2015. Follow these tips below to begin your ‘get fit journey':
Step 1- write down what it is you want to achieve. For example, if you want to lose weight, write down how much weight you want to lose in total and then break it down into how much weight you want to lose in a month, three months etc. Breaking your weight loss goals down makes it much more achievable and less daunting!
Step 2- plan how many times a week you will exercise and at what time. Create a timetable for exercising. We all lead busy lives and planning ahead will enable you to become more organised. Also think about what you enjoy, there is no point in joining a boxing class if you don’t like boxing! You may enjoy dancing so look for classes in your local area.
Step 3- write a food diary of exactly what you eat at the moment. Often people don’t realise how much they are eating and how badly they are eating unless they write it down. Once you have done this you will be able to clearly see where you are going wrong and some patterns may emerge with your eating habits. For example, are you snacking on unhealthy foods late at night in which case you may need to address what you eat for your evening meals as they may not be satisfying you.
Step 4- research into some healthy, nutritious meals to make. Being healthy doesn’t mean being boring! Get a list of delicious recipes together that you can try in the New Year. Think about how you will incorporate healthy eating into your daily life. For example this may mean making your own lunch and taking it to work. You may have a sweet tooth so look into some healthy treat recipes too!
Step 5- take pictures of yourself! There is nothing better than looking at the progress you’ve made as you proceed on your fitness journey. Take pictures now and then after one month etc and you will see how your body is changing and that is a fantastic motivator.
If you follow these tips you have already made a positive start to achieving your fitness goals!
